First police museum: An ode to fallen heroes, 2,000 years of policing

NEW DELHI: A large number of visitors thronged the National

Police Memorial

museum, the first one in the country dedicated to

police

officers, on the first day after its inauguration by

Prime Minister

Narendra Modi.

As soon as you enter the corridor of the museum, which has five galleries focussing on different segments, you will be able to see examples of over 2,000 years of policing from the ancient till the recent times. These include the Kautilya system of law and order in 310BC, southern literature on policing and constables of Lanka.

The first thing inside the museum is the rank structure, starting with constable, head constable, leading up to director general of police and director of intelligence bureau.

The next installations are dedicated to the forces guarding the border and Indo-Tibetan Border Police. The central protection forces make up most of the next segment, with installations focusing on CISF, SPG, NSG, RPF, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, CPRF and IB.

The displays of weapons like 5.56mm and 7.62mm rifles, .455 bore revolver and 9mm carbine are expected to be huge hit among youngsters. There are other installations about police bands and buglers and Indian police in postal stamps/philately.

The 1,600 sq m museum takes visitors on a walkthrough describing police forces in each of the 30 states and six

Union territories

. There are special sections dedicated to role of women in police and the animal squads — dog squad, camel squad, mounted police (horses) and pigeon post.

For those inclined towards research-oriented work, there is a section highlighting the role of Bureau of Police Research and Development, LNJN National Institute of Criminology and Forensic Science and National Technical Research Organisation.

The most interesting segment is the one dedicated to martyrs and outstanding police operations. Sources said this is an evolving section and more stories would be added over time.

Currently, there are about nine stories laid out in the martyrdom section, including Hot Springs Ladakh in 1959 where three police officers were killed, Akshardham attack in 2002 (Operation Vajra Shakti), Maoists attack Dantewada in 2010, and martyrs of Uttarakhand floods in 2013. A special film on 26/11 and an installation on Vandana Malik, the first woman IPS officer martyred in 1989, are also displayed in this section.

Other police operations include Operation Puttur (2013), Noorbagh encounter (2003), and killing of forest brigand Veerappan. A section is also dedicated to gallantry awards and police contribution in international operations.

The museum has been curated and designed by Vama Communications, an Ahmedabad-based company, whose earlier works have integrated 3D Mapping, Touch screen displays, Themes and stuff that connects with the subject i.e. Khadi was used in Mahatma Gandhi museum in Rajkot. "The police museum was a challenge for us as we had to work with coordinate with police stations in every state and union territory, to bring the best of the police work on display. The museum will help visitors have a new perspective to law and order officers and policemen, and see how they work to understand them better. Most people have very limited interaction with cops, and this will shed light on their inner workings," said Vandana Raaj, chief executive officer, Vama Communications.

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